Just for a change the weather gods were smiling on us last week, with mild spring-like weather bringing the crowds out during the school half term holiday. We had a lovely email this morning from a couple who enjoyed their first visit to Minsmere at the weekend and the found the reserve easily accessible in their mobility scooter (don't forget that we have two scooters for hire - if you need them please book in advance.)
It was great to see so many smiling faces, especially among our younger visitors and their parents. After a day of making nestboxes, building dens, spotting exciting wildlife and playing on the beach, it was sometimes difficult to know whether we'd tired the children out more, or their parents. We'd certainly tired out some of our volunteers, who may still find their ears ringing with the sound of hammer on nail after helping families to make their nestboxes.
A box under construction (photo by Amy Lever)
It's customary after certain TV programmes to say that "no people or animals were harmed during the making of this show." On this occasion that may not be strictly true, as no doubt one or two fingers were hit at some point, but as far as I know everyone still has all their fingers in full working order!
This was clearly a popular event, as we made an incredible 196 nestboxes during the five day event. That's 196 new homes for nature: homes for great tits and robins in particular, though other species may choose to use them too. As each nestbox was made by nailing together six specially cut planks of wood, that's an impressive 1176 planks. Of course, before the families could start, these planks had to be cut to the right length and pre-drilled, so a huge thanks to our volunteers, especially Stan, who had spent the previous few weeks laboriously working with saw and drill to get ready for the event.
Ready for assembly (photo by Amy Lever)
It wasn't only the families and volunteers with smiling happy faces this week either. Many birdwatchers left equally happy after spotting some of our star species. The pair of smew remain, but continue to be frustratingly mobile at times. They favour the pool behind North Hide, viewable from the mound near the pond, but have also shown well at times from Wildlife Lookout and near South Hide. They have, however, also gone missing for a a day or two at a time.
The great white egret can be similarly difficult to pin down, but when it feeds in its favoured pool behind Wildlife Lookout it shows incredibly well. The six goosanders at Island Mere have been more reliable, and have taken to roosting on the Scrape overnight.
Of course, for many people the star attractions are our reedbed birds, and the bitterns at Island Mere continue to show well, often feeding close to the hide for long periods. The first grunting bitterns were heard last week, tuning up before they start booming in earnest in the coming weeks. Water rails and bearded tits also show well at times, while the marsh harriers are much more reliable, especially as they are now sky dancing in earnest.
They're not the only birds displaying now either. Several pairs of oystercatchers have already returned to the Scrape and their loud piping calls now accompany any walk around the Coast Trail. It won't be long before our avocets begin to return tot he Scrape too. As I mentioned in my last blog, many of our ducks have already paired up, and mating has also started, especially among the mallards.
Another species that is clearly already pairing up is the treecreeper, with no fewer than three pairs spotted between the visitor centre and South Belt Crossroads this afternoon, while great spotted woodpeckers are drumming in the woods. The milder weather has encouraged many more birds to start singing, but has also prompted the departure of some of our wintering birds - 30 Bewick's swans flew east this morning and the first satellite tracked Bewick's swan has already reached Denmark at the start of their long migration back to Siberia. It has also brought a few insects out in search of nectar - a white-tailed bumblebee was seen near Southbelt Crossroads today and a comma butterfly was spotted yesterday, while I saw my first brimstone butterfly and early bumblebee of the year in London's Hyde Park on Friday.
Treecreeper by Jon Evans